Some of these answers are amazing. “No one will care...” No one should care, but some idiots will. They guy may only have one or two fly outs and doesn’t want to lose one job opportunity because some alcoholic d-bag holds not drinking against him. It’s called the real world.

I don’t drink because I take medication for migraines. Lots of medications say you shouldn’t drink with them, but I consistently get asked why I don’t drink. It happens a lot. Like people say, though, I can’t believe you’d entertain lying if you’re so religious you don’t drink. So, try to just change the subject or say something like you don’t drink much and you don’t think it’s a good idea before your workshop the next day, which is technically true.

Some of these answers are amazing. “No one will care...” No one should care, but some idiots will. They guy may only have one or two fly outs and doesn’t want to lose one job opportunity because some alcoholic d-bag holds not drinking against him. It’s called the real world.
I don’t drink because I take medication for migraines. Lots of medications say you shouldn’t drink with them, but I consistently get asked why I don’t drink. It happens a lot. Like people say, though, I can’t believe you’d entertain lying if you’re so religious you don’t drink. So, try to just change the subject or say something like you don’t drink much and you don’t think it’s a good idea before your workshop the next day, which is technically true.

Most job candidates don’t have alcohol at dinner. Literally no one will care.

Some of these answers are amazing. “No one will care...” No one should care, but some idiots will. They guy may only have one or two fly outs and doesn’t want to lose one job opportunity because some alcoholic d-bag holds not drinking against him. It’s called the real world.
I don’t drink because I take medication for migraines. Lots of medications say you shouldn’t drink with them, but I consistently get asked why I don’t drink. It happens a lot. Like people say, though, I can’t believe you’d entertain lying if you’re so religious you don’t drink. So, try to just change the subject or say something like you don’t drink much and you don’t think it’s a good idea before your workshop the next day, which is technically true.

In the real world, bizarre things can happen. People can hold not drinking against you or hold drinking against you. Or resent the fact that you are from Costa Rica or S Korea or Illinois or because you wear glasses or you have perfect eyesight or you are gay or straight or neither...

Realistically, the chance that you will lose a job because you don't drink is pretty damned close to zero and approximately equal to the change you will lose a job because you do drink.

You could say you're taking medication that amplifies the effects of alcohol or should not be taken with alcohol. This is a fairly wide range of medication (not just psychiatric ones).

And don't worry about it. I personally knew a bunch of people who were abstinent and went on the job market and they never mentioned any issues. You're properly right to hide your religion and you're unlikely to ever need to reveal it.

This would be a signal that he doesn't know what he's talking about, because true allergy to alcohol doesn't exist.

Most people who think they are allergic simply have some degree of alcohol intolerance. Calling it an allergy makes you sound stupid. Some people who truly have allergic reactions when drinking have an allergy w.r.t wheat or histamine. There are virtually nobody on Earth (that has been documented) that has ethanol allergy. It's physiologically impossible. It makes you sound retarded.

Well, I guess far more likely is that they want to know (and many do ask) why he’s not drinking. If he’s Mormon and says so, I’ve also heard many people say they don’t like to hire Mormon candidates because they all retire after tenure...so maybe it’s a two step sequence. There are LDS people who don’t go to BYU, so it’s not always obvious.

Some of these answers are amazing. “No one will care...” No one should care, but some idiots will. They guy may only have one or two fly outs and doesn’t want to lose one job opportunity because some alcoholic d-bag holds not drinking against him. It’s called the real world.
I don’t drink because I take medication for migraines. Lots of medications say you shouldn’t drink with them, but I consistently get asked why I don’t drink. It happens a lot. Like people say, though, I can’t believe you’d entertain lying if you’re so religious you don’t drink. So, try to just change the subject or say something like you don’t drink much and you don’t think it’s a good idea before your workshop the next day, which is technically true.

In the real world, bizarre things can happen. People can hold not drinking against you or hold drinking against you. Or resent the fact that you are from Costa Rica or S Korea or Illinois or because you wear glasses or you have perfect eyesight or you are gay or straight or neither...
Realistically, the chance that you will lose a job because you don't drink is pretty damned close to zero and approximately equal to the change you will lose a job because you do drink.
No one cares whether you drink.